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County seal surrounded by photos of Old County Courthouse, Oracle Building, and Sequoia Hotel - Click for San Mateo County Home Thursday, November 20, 2008
County seal surrounded by photos of Old County Courthouse, Oracle Building, and Sequoia Hotel - Click for San Mateo County Home Human Services Agency Home
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Foster Parent Handbook  Printer Friendly View

Foster Care Handbook Page Title Graphic
Picture of a man, woman, and infant. What is the Foster Parent Handbook?

The Foster Parent Handbook is a resource guide for resource parents.


How to use the Foster Parent Handbook

Click here to download the entire Foster Parent Handbook. (Adobe PDF format 5.6 MB). Or, click on one of the sections below to download just a section of the handbook in Acrobat format.

To search for a word or phrase in an Acrobat document, click on the binoculars icon or where it says "Search" on the tool bar then type what you are searching for in the box that appears that says, "What word or phrase would you like to search for?".

To navigate (move arround) in an Acrobat document, you can use the forward and backward triangles on the bottom of the Acrobat window. The triangles with vertical lines take you to the begining or end of the current document.

The handbook documents will open to the table of contents page. The subsections of the document have a black rectangles around the text. Clicking in these rectangles will take you to the subsections of the document. To get back to the table of contents page, click on the left facing triangle with the vertical line. You can then click on a different subsection.

One the left side of the Acrobat screen is a tab called Bookmarks. Click on this tab to display the bookmarks for the documents subsections. Clicking on a bookmark will cause the subsection to be displayed in the right window. The bookmarks will remain visible in the left window and can be used to navigate to different subsections of the document.

Table of Contents


  1. Introduction 705 KB
    1. Letter From Mark Lane
    2. If a Child...
    3. Alphabet Soup
    4. Case Flow Chart
    5. Staff Who Work with Foster Parents
  2. Foster Care 719KB
    1. What is Foster Care?
    2. Types of Foster Care
      • Shelter Care
      • Teen Shelter
      • Regular Foster Care
      • Therapeutic Foster Care
      • Adolescent Care Homes
      • Medically Fragile Child Program
      • Fost-Adopt Homes
      • Foster Family Agencies
      • Group Homes
      • Kinship Foster Parents
      • Guardianship Homes
      • Non-Relative Extended Family Members
    3. Liability of Foster Parents
    4. Insurance
  3. Ongoing Foster Care Information 622 KB
    1. Renewals
    2. Waivers and Exceptions
    3. Denials
    4. Revocation/Suspension
    5. Rights of Appeal
    6. Grievance Procedure/Administrative Procedures
    7. Complaints
    8. Assessing Allegations of Abuse Against Foster Parents
  4. The Foster Parent  231 KB
    1. Introduction
    2. National Foster Parents Association Code of Ethics
    3. Foster Parents' Rights
    4. Foster Parents' Bill of Rights - San Mateo County
    5. Responsibilities of Foster Parents
    6. Child Care
    7. Child Care Subsidy Program
    8. Respite Care
    9. Child Care for Medically Fragile Children
    10. What to Do When You Suspect Abuse - Mandatory Reporting
    11. Foster Care Training
  5. Finances for Agency Placed Children 250KB
    1. Foster Care Eligibility Unit
    2. Basic Foster Care Rates
    3. Difficulty of Care Rate
    4. Special Clothing Needs
  6. Medical Information 622 KB
    1. Foster Care Public Health Nurses
    2. Medical Care for the Foster Child
    3. Child Health & Disability Prevention (CHDP)
    4. Resource Parent's Responsibilities for Securing Medical Care
    5. Dental Care for the Foster Child
    6. Medical Consents and Authorizations
    7. General Information
    8. Medi-Cal/Health Plan of San Mateo
    9. Children not Eligible for Medi-Cal
    10. Public Health Nurses
    11. Women, Infant and Children (WIC)
    12. Emergencies
    13. Medications/Prescriptions
    14. Psychiatric Care
    15. Medical Records
    16. Sensitive Services
  7. Sharing Of Information 657 KB
    1. Confidentiality
    2. Team Decision Making (TDM)
    1. Confidentiality
    2. Team Decision Making (TDM)
  8. Resources 1.2 MB
    1. HSA Foster Parent Liaison Job Description
    2. Support Groups
    3. Foster Care Advocate
    4. State of California Foster Care Ombudsman
    5. Community Resources
    6. San Mateo County Foster Parents' Association
    7. Educational Liaisons
    8. Seat Belt Regulations
    9. Independent Living Program (ILP)
    10. Tax Information for Foster Parents
    11. Some Helpful Websites
  9. The Birth Parent 91 KB
    1. Relationship with the Foster Child's Birth Family
    2. Rights and Responsibilities of Birth Parents
  10. The Placement Process And After The Placement 134 KB
    1. Concurrent Planning
    2. The Placement Process
    3. Placement as Seen by the Child
    4. Some Hints to Smooth the Road
    5. San Mateo County Children and Family Services Visitation Policy
    6. When Your Foster Child Leaves
  11. The Foster Child 191 KB
    1. The Child has a Right To:
    2. Child's Personal Rights
    3. Records for the Foster Child
    4. Vacations/Out-of-Town Trips
    5. Other Considerations
    6. Drivers License
    7. Auto Insurance
    8. Foster Parent Providing Transportation for Others
    9. Providing Care for the Foster Child
  12. The Social Worker And The Agency 153 KB
    1. Responsibilities of the Social Worker/Agency
    2. The Social Worker/Agency has the Right To:
    3. Removal of a Foster Child
    4. Agency Roster
  13. Juvenile Court 227 KB
    1. History of Juvenile Court Law
    2. Aspects of the Law that Pertain to Foster Parents
    3. How to Communicate with the Court
    4. Sequence of Hearings
  14. School 67 KB
    1. Enrolling a Foster Child in School
    2. Educational Questionnaire
    3. School Enrollment Process
  15. Appendices 1.1 MB
    1. Reward for Recruiting
    2. History of Foster Care
    3. Agency Policy on Foster Parent Adoptions
    4. Behavioral Indicators That May Suggest Physical Abuse
    5. Federal Tax Benefits for Foster and Adoptive Parents and Kinship Caregivers
    6. CPR and First Aid Training Referrals
    7. County of San Mateo Health Services Agency Health Exam and Immunizations Clinics
    8. Utilizing San Mateo County Health Centers for Medial and Dental Services for your Foster Child(ren)
    9. San Mateo County Child Health and Disability Prevention Program Provider Directory
    10. Pharmacies that Accept Medi-Cal0
    11. HIV Practices / "Universal Protocol"
    12. Safety Grids for Heaters
    13. California Codes Vehicle Section 7360-27368 Seat Belt Law
    14. Whom to Call for What
    15. Your Child's Growth: Developmental Milestones
    16. San Mateo County Protocol on Investigation of Allegations of Abuse or Severe Neglect in a Foster Homes